Musical compositions include two main types of information. First, are the sounds played or generated at certain pitches. Second, are the rhythms characterized by the duration of the individual sounds and the time intervals therebetween. Brass, woodwind and string instruments as well as many electronic instruments generate sounds having a specific pitch (and often various overtones of those pitches) played in certain rhythmic patterns. Music written for such instruments is typically written on a staff with a time signature, clef, key signature and note symbols. The note symbols include bodies placed on specific lines or spaces within, above or below the staff to indicate the primary pitch being sounded. The relative duration of each such sound is represented by whether the body of the note is filled and by the presence or absence of stems and flags extending from the note body. Some percussion instruments such as bells, xylophone, vibraphone, piano, and guitar, for example, generate specific tones and their overtones. Music for these percussive instruments is typically notated in the same fashion as music for brass, woodwind, and string instruments.
Other percussion instruments such as drums and cymbals, while typically tuned to a general frequency range, primarily contribute to the rhythmic structure of music. FIG. 1 shows a typical musical transcription 100 written for a single percussion instrument, such as a bass drum, using a single line 102 with a time signature 104 utilizing notes 106 and rests 108 similar to those used for other instruments.
Drum sets utilized in popular music typically include several percussive instruments that are played by a single drummer. These drum sets may include one or more bass drums played with a kick pedal, a snare drum, a floor tom, one or more rack toms, a hi-hat cymbal played with a foot pedal and sticks, and one or more ride or crash cymbals. Other percussive instruments such as a cow bell, wood block and/or tambourine may also be included in a drum set. Rather then writing music for each individual percussive instrument in a drum set utilizing the format of FIG. 1, music 200 for the drum set is typically written using staff 202, time signature 204, standard notes 224, 230, 232 and 234, percussive notes 226 and 228, and rests 208 as shown, for example, in FIG. 2.
While the percussive music notation format 200 is not completely standardized, it is generally accepted that a single line 212 or space 214 within, above or below the staff 202 is designating the instrument 216 that is notated by its associated space 214 or line 212. It is also generally accepted that the lower sounding instruments are assigned lines 212 or spaces 214 closer to the bottom of the staff 202 while higher sounding instruments are assigned lines 212 or spaces 214 near the top or above the staff 202.
Drum kits are usually “tuned” using keys to tighten the heads of the drum. The drums in a drum kit are tuned relative to each other so that the bass drum is tuned the lowest and the snare drum is tuned the highest. The order of relative tuning of drums from lowest to highest is the bass drum, floor tom, rack tom and snare. The music written in FIG. 2 is for a drum set having a bass drum, a floor tom, a rack tom, a snare drum, a hi-hat cymbal and a crash cymbal.
Communicative rhythm is a necessary and important part of all musical instruction. The disclosed device and method for visualization of musical rhythm structures may be utilized in conjunction with, or separate from, the Apparatus and Method for Visualizing Musical Notation (“the Master Key™ concept”) disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/827/264, filed on Jul. 11, 2007, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. While the Master Key™ concept uses geometry, color, circular efficiency and interchangeable 2-3 dimensions to communicate the spatial tonal relationships of musical notes in a non-standard manner, the Rhythmical Visualization system and method disclosed herein may use, in one embodiment, circular geometry, white light, and interchangeable 2-3 dimensions to communicate rhythm in an equally novel and powerful manner. These two components (the Master Key™ concept and disclosed rhythmical visualization method and system) may overlap and reinforce one another, providing many novel ways to increase production in musical composition, performance, communication, understanding and enjoyment.